Toyota Might Finally Build A GR Sports Car Completely On Its Own

Toyota’s performance car ambitions have come a long way since the Supra was revived thanks to its partnership with BMW in 2019. Since then, its Gazoo Racing division has grown significantly, leading to the creation of the critically acclaimed GR Yaris and GR Corolla hot hatches. Now, with the Supra on its last legs, Toyota has revealed that if it wants to build a new sports car, it could do it alone, without having to partner with another carmaker.

Read: How Toyota Plans To Keep The GR Celica And Supra From Overlapping

The company’s recent reliance on partnerships is well established. Subaru joined Toyota to launch the original GT 86 in 2012, BMW became the key collaborator for the reborn Supra, and Subaru returned again for the second-generation GR 86. But when asked recently whether Toyota could take the solo route next time, the brand’s Australian Sales and Marketing chief hinted that it was possible, though he stopped short of saying such a project was already underway.

Can Toyota Really Go It Alone?

“The answer is yes; we can do this on our own,” Hanley told Australia’s Drive. “This is what GR is about, this is exactly what GR is about. But having said that, we learned a lot, and will learn a lot, through our partnerships and BMW, they build some seriously good cars, so we don’t take a step back from that relationship at all – it was a good collaboration where we learned an incredible amount about performance cars.”

When asked directly whether a truly independent Gazoo Racing sports car might ever appear, Hanley was emphatic. “Can I ever see a day where we do our own independent, standalone Toyota Gazoo Racing sports performance car? Yes, yes, and yes. You’ll have to wait and see.”

Supra, Celica, Or Something New?

Hanley offered no indication as to whether a new sports car could serve as a next-generation version of the Supra, or perhaps an all-new model. However, he did acknowledge that “Supra has an incredibly strong legacy statement,” and that “you never say never” to resurrecting the Supra brand.

Interestingly, there have been plenty of reports indicating that Toyota has already given the green light to a new generation of Supra, potentially launching as soon as 2027. What’s more, recent reports have suggested that Toyota is preparing to revive the Celica nameplate with a new GR model rocking a mid-engined setup with all-wheel drive and producing around 400 hp.